Plaster-board support



E. E. FLETCHER.

' PLASTER BOARD SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED IULY I2, 1919.

Patnted Feb. 8,1921.

I T E E H s S T E E H S. 2

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PLASTER BOARD SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12. I919.

1,367,688. Patented Feb. 8,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST E. FLETCHER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PLASTER-BOARD SUPPORT.

Application filed July 12,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, ERNEST E. FLETCHER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plaster-Board Supports, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in plaster board supports and more particularly to an all-metal construction to be used in the building art for the purpose of erecting walls and ceiling, and involving the use of plaster board or other plaster retaining mediums of sectional form, such as metal lath and the like.

Among the objects of my invention is to provide a construction embodying the use of certain novel units which cooperate and may be joined together in such a manner as to provide a simple and yet practical means of erecting walls and ceilings whereby a durable and fire-proof construction is obtained.

A further object of my invention is to overcome certain defects existing in methods heretofore employed in the construction of walls of the type to which my invention pertains.

The novel features of my invention are hereinafter fully disclosed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 shows a portion of the wall constructed in accordance with my invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the wall constructed in accordance with my invention,

Fig. 3 is a detail view in vertical section taken 'on line 3-3, of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged View in cross section taken on line 4-4:, Fig.1 1,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail View in perspective showing a portion of the vertical stud member and key, and

Fig. 6 is a view in perspective showing the application of the several devices as applied to ceiling construction.

As hereinbefore indicated, this invention relates to a method for constructing walls of a building and has herein been illustrated in connection with the construction of interior Walls or partitions such as ordinarily separate the rooms of a building. In general, the partition or wall consists of a series of vertical studs spaced apart at suitable, distances and extending from the floor to the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

1919. Serial No. 310,386.

ceilingIand supported in any suitable manner. xtending between and connected to the severalstuds 10 are a plurality of sheets of plaster board 11, these sheets or sections being ordinarily of a predetermined size, there being two or more sections arranged one above the other between two of the up right studs. The plaster boards are fastened or connected to these studs by means of a plurality of keys hereinafter to be described, there being applied a layer of plaster over the entire surface of the board for the purpose of providing the outer surface of the wall. The ceilings are constructed in a like manner with the exception of a slightly difierent member with which the sections of plaster board are secured.

Referring now more in detail to the construction employed, the studs or upright members 10 are preferably constructed of sheet metal, the same being formed from blanks bent in U-form thereby providing a central web 12 and two parallel webs 13, 13, said central web being of a width sufficient to provide the desired thickness of wall and the webs 13 extending at right ang es thereto and lying in the plane of the wall. tending lengthwise ofeach of the webs 13 and substantially along the center line thereof are provided a series of ribs or projections 1 1 and 15, said ribs being comparatively short in length and formed by stamping the metal in such a manner as to form a series of alternate convex and concave projections with respect to the outer surface of the ribs, there being provided at the ad.- jacent ends of'each'convex and concave rib a substantially circular opening or hole 16, these openings lying substantially in a plane at right angles to the stud.

The studs constructed in this manner are erected as hereinbefore stated and form the initial members of the wall to be constructed, namely, with the central portion extending transversely to the plane of the wall and the webs 13 at right angles thereto, the location of the uprights being governed by the size of the sections of plaster board. To the studs are then applied the plaster board, the lateral margins thereof preferably extending along and in contact with the outer webs 13 and in close contact with the convex and'concave projections 14 and 15, these projections extending into the crevice or space separating the lateral margins .of the plaster. board. As before suggested, the plaster board is secured to the studs by means of keys 17 which will now be described in detail. The keys 17 are preferably formed of galvanized wire or similar round stock which are bent to provide a straight portion 18 of sufficient length to overlap the margins of the plaster board when the keys are in place,a portion 19 of the stock beyond one end of the straight portion 18 being bent back upon said straight portion to a point at the center thereof thereby forminga double thickness of the stock consisting of half of the straight portion 18 and the bent portion 19. From the center of the transverse straight portion 18 the stock is again bent or offset at right angles to the portion 19 thereby forming a neck portion 20 of desired length. The remaining portion of the key consists of a stem 21, likewise extending at right angles to the straight portion 18 but offset therefrom by reason of the neck portion 20 in a parallel plane, said key thus presenting a T form with the transverse portion offset from the vertical portion. As a preferable construction there is provided at the central portion of the stem a slight offset or hump 22, the purpose of which will hereinafter be set forth.

As clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the keys 17 are inserted along the vertical studs 12, said keys being spaced apart and used in suflicient numbers to insure the proper securing of the p aster board in place. The method of applying the keys is clearly shown in Fig. 5, it being assumed that the plaster board is in place, as is clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The stem'21 of the key is inserted downwardly through the opening 16 at the upper end of one of the convex or outwardly projecting ribs 14, said stem being of a length considerably longer than that of the convex rib 14 so that the end projects beyond and through the opening 16 at the lower end of said rib and is retained within the de pression or groove formed by the concave rib 15 immediately below; The keys are forced downwardly by the hand and may be driven home by means of a hammer and when in place occupy the position clearly shown in Fig. 3. The offset portion or hump 22 which is preferably bent in the direction of the straight portion 18 of the key, functions to lock the key in place by exerting pressure against the rib 14 thus preventing the upward movement of the key after the same has been driven finally into position. It is to be noticed at this point, that the length of the neck portion 20 is substantially equal to the thickness of the plaster board and therefore keys having neck portions of varying length can be supplied and used depending on the thicknesses of plaster board that is employed. Furthermore, by reason of the presence of the offset neck portion 20, the transverse portion 18 of the keys is offset outwardly from the stem and the retaining ribs and grooves 14 and p 15 with the result that said outwardly projecting ribs 14 extend only a short distance into the space between the plaster board and not beyond the surface thereof.

As a means for connecting the upper and lower margins of the sections of plaster board 11 there are employed a series of metal connecting members 28 consistingof alternately arranged upwardly and downwardly extending tongues 24 which engage the edges of plaster board and act to space the same apart and maintain them in the same plane, as is clearly evident from Figs. 2 and 3.

In applying the plaster board to the ceiling a similar construction is employed, namely, by the use of metal strips 24 which are but a reproduction of the single web 13 of the upright studs hereinbefore described. These strips 24 are likewise provided with alternate concave and convex ribs 25 and 26 and the end openings 27. These strips are secured to the floor joist or otherwise attarhed to the ceiling members and the plaster board applied and the keys inserted in identically the same manner as hereinbefore described in connection with the construction of the vertical walls.

A wall constructed in accordance with my invention promotes the securing of certain advantageous results among which may be mentioned the particular type of key which is employed and the arrangement of the ribs and openings in the metal studs which form the slots for retaining the keys in position. As before suggested, a key constructed as described and which provides for ofisetting the transverse or material engaging portion from the stem by means of a neck or offset portion permits the use of different sizes of key varying in respect to the lengthof the neck which enables the use of varying thicknesses of plaster board and even the use of other varieties of material such as metal-lath, by merely employing the size of key adapted for the material to be used. Obviously all of the outwardly projecting ribs 14 are not ordinarily used for retaining a key, although they do perform the function of providing a reinforcement for the plaster which is applied to the wall, the same filling enters the spaces between the plaster board and entering the openings 16 and becomes hardened, thus forming an anchor for the plaster and strengthening the studding as well as promoting the durability and strength of the layer of plaster applied to the plaster board. Furthermore, these projections do not project beyond the surfa e of the plaster board and therefore possibility of rust coming through and appearing on the surface of the plaster is eliminated, as well as the possibility of cracks being produced in the plaster owing to the presence of these metal proj ections near the finished surface of the wall.

In addition to the features already mentioned, the advantage of using the type of key herein described may be referred to, namely, that the keys may be inserted and driven in place without danger of mutilating the plaster board by striking the same with a hammer, by reason of the fact that the portion to be struck is offset from the surface of the plaster board and there are no projections above to interfere with the proper use of the hammer in striking the keys. Furthermore, the keys projecting be yond the surface of the plaster act as a foundation or anchor for the plaster which is applied to the surface of the board.

Obviously the results obtained from the use of my invention may be secured by slight modifications of the construction herein set forth and illustrated, therefore I do not wish to be limited to the particular form of the device except in so far as specifically set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a wall structure, the combination of a wall material supporting member c0mprising a web section having a series of longitudinally extending depressions and slots at the ends thereof, and a key having a stem engaging said slots and lying substantially in the plane of said web, and a material engaging portion offset from said stem.

2. In a wall structure, the combination of a supporting member comprising a web section provided with a series of alternate projections and depressions formed therein, and

slots at the ends thereof, and a key having a stem extending through at least two of said slots and engaging the intermediate depression, and means for locking said key from movement in said slots.

3. In a wall structure, the combination of a wall-material supporting member comprising a web section provided with a series of alternate projections and depressions and slots at the ends thereof, and a key having a stem portion extending through at least two of said slots, and provided with a locking hump adapted to engage the depression intermediate said slots.

4:. In a wall structure, the combination of a wall supporting member comprising a web adapted to be overlapped by the margins of the Wall material, and provided with alternately facing depressions extending longitudinally thereof, and slots at the ends thereof and a key having a stem engaging said slots, and an offset portion extending between the margins of said wall material and terminating in a transverse material engaging portion.

5. In a wall structure, the combination of a wall material supporting member comprising a web having a plurality of longi tudinally arranged depressions formed therein, and slots at the ends thereof, and a key comprising a stem engaging in said slots, and a neck portion extending between the edges of the wall material and terminating in a transverse wall material engaging portion.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 3rd day of July, A. D. 1919.

ERNEST E. FLETCHER. 

